A moment of hesitation is appropriate at the start of such an important new cycle, where you have most definitely arrived. You may feel a need to balance out your life at the same time balance is precisely the most difficult thing to attain. At the heart of your situation is an emotional matter to sort out, and circumstances are fortunately allowing you some time for retreat and contemplation of what seems like subject matter from the distant past, but really is affecting you in the present place and time. This is not a matter of breaking free, but rather one of making peace with yourself. There will be plenty of time to explore and put this to work in the long run through creative expression, and you'll surely have your moments in the coming weeks where you have to get something out. Just don't forget that that subtle inner level is the place where the healing takes place

You have, at the least, succeeded in regaining some of your confidence. Few other personal attributes (talent, sex appeal, love) are worth much without this one factor, so you can be sure it's precious. You're capable of such highs and lows in this regard, and for many reasons, these can send you reeling in strange directions. This month's Mercury retrograde will give you the strength and insight to get beneath the floorboards and find out what's going on down there. This really was a case of your taking on somebody else's insecurity long before you knew what was happening, and I speak in particular of the parent you feel took "better" care of you. All things being equal, most people would be able to stand up to the challenges of living, but in our place and time, we often must (and fortunately can) dismantle the apparatus of fear and self-doubt. 

Have you ever had one of those experiences where you're standing in a store considering purchasing something, and it seems expensive. Then, you see something that you really want, at twice the price, but it seems perfectly affordable? This is the story of your life now. If something seems difficult to attain or out of reach (financially or otherwise), keep looking for what aligns with your values. You may discover that what means the most is most readily attainable. Yet the search may take a while, and I suggest you be patient. What I can propose, however, is that you already know what that something is, and you will need to take something of an inner quest to establish that fact. As part of this process you will solidify the inner sense of what is correct for you, before you come around to the final conclusion that you can, indeed, make it real. 

It's time to think big. How big? Big as you like, whatever that means to you. All rules are suspended on matters of scale, proportion, size, and effort as relates to results. Practical concerns take third or fourth place. What now matters is that you consistently apply one thing to any goal or necessity you may have: imagination. The reason the rules are all on hold—and may well remain that way for a while—is that creativity is the answer to everything. Creativity is love applied to a specific circumstance, whether it's a house to build, a photo exhibit, or making sure your kid gets into the college he or she wants (and paying for it). It's not about how hard you work, but rather, how well you tap into the inner source of cosmic intelligence that is far greater than the whole drama we live here on the physical plane, and for whom this whole dog and pony show is so much watercolor.

Focus will come and go this month, and you may be met repeatedly with the sense that you don't quite know your own mind. You do, but you may have a tendency to forget, so I suggest you devise ways to communicate with yourself over the various little gaps and lapses that seem to dot the landscape between now and your birthday. If you are having moments of forgetfulness, do take the metaphor. There is something you're trying to dissolve, let go of, forget or otherwise put in the past. It's something that's resisted mightily and will, soon enough, begin to let go of the hold it's had on you. Despite this, you have managed to emerge from a recent struggle of some sort with your identity intact and with a higher degree of motivation than you've felt in a long time, but that may work out to be one of the things you have a tendency to forget. Write this in lipstick on your bedroom mirror: Why think when you can feel? 

You may feel it's time to reactivate an old social network that can be enormously helpful to you at this time in your life. It turns out that the people who took the best care of you in the past have something new to offer, as you aspire to make one of your most important dreams come true. That you're even willing to consider this is a rather large shift of attitude from your sense, not so long ago, that only the worst possibilities were likely. We may well ask what was keeping you up nights, and if I had to guess it was the sense that you faced obstacles that you did not recognize or could not perceive. Once you know what you face, it's much easier to deal with it, but this particular phobic phase seemed to focus on the unknown—which is precisely the kind of contradiction you were struggling with. In any event, it's time to think about what you're actually doing and creating, and who can help.

If you had to piss somebody off in order to accomplish a particular goal last month, just factor it into the cost of doing business. Anyway, remember, it was your business, and all that you really got in the way of was somebody's opinion. This was good practice, since you can be pretty sure that you're going to go against the grain of civilization more than once to accomplish what you need to do this month, with some surprising results. It's once again time for the tried and true advice that life is not a popularity contest. But what you do have going for you, as ever, is the ability to think in political terms and make sure that you both draw energy from the world, and impact the world, in an evenhanded way. People need you just as much as you need them—but please let them figure that out on their own, so the information is that much more meaningful.

There is really no accounting for what happened to, with, or for your career last month, but I presume you're a better person for it, and that you've made just the adjustments you need to make. In particular, these adjustments relate to how you use your energy, apply your authority, and coexist with others in authority. The main point is that power must be shared, though people who have some of the stuff, and who have an agenda, are usually unwilling to do so. What you've learned, if nothing else, is that at times, you need to use your will in the face of someone else's will; that there are instances where negotiation does not get the job done. People need a reason to sit down at the table and talk, and if nothing else, you've given them one. Now a civilized discussion can ensue, but the occasional polite rattling of your saber may be appropriate. 

For the sake of people around you, please avoid getting into tangles or struggles of any kind—and make sure you understand that your passion has an emotional impact that goes deeper than the physical or psychological sensation. This being said, you have the potential for some extraordinary growth experiences in your relationships this month, particularly ones where sex and attachment are a factor. But you may need to violate something inherent in your nature and invest a great deal of consciousness into seeing, feeling, and experiencing the world from the viewpoint of the people close to you, even if their perspectives seem to contradict themselves at times. They will be willing to talk, if you are willing to listen. They will yield their secrets, if only you will give up yours. Someone you love will willingly give you the vulnerability you need, if you will open the door to your heart and receive it kindly. 

You've discovered the force more powerful than money, which is credibility. We use the word "credit" in relation to financial matters, often limiting this to a score or rating. But in truly human terms, credibility is the single factor that matters, both to you, and for you. This begins with everyone having their cards face-up, and their agendas on the table. When you have your doubts, ask first. You have seen the power of information, and you need to keep your eye on that factor as Mercury makes its way backward through your relationship angle between July 4 and the end of the month. For anyone you may be inclined to doubt, or think you may, or who is in a position to cost you grief or money, make sure you start with a good interview or face-to-face talk, and get some notes or other documentation in writing. In other words, start strong, and stay strong. 

You take your life seriously—that is always your saving grace. Yes, you have other talents; but your ability to meet challenges head-on, and to make sure that real discussions happen, is what pulls you through every challenge and helps you make the most of your opportunities. What's interesting is that the more direct you are, the more you may be noticing you're changing in every moment. When you find that core of self and relate directly from it, what you encounter is a living creature—not a fixed idea, not a role, not a place in society. This point of reference is too scary for most people to maintain for long, because without all the ego trappings, it's possible to feel like one does not really exist. But exist you do, in a relationship with the world that changes and develops from moment to moment. 

These days of your life call for foresight, maturity, and patience, but more to the point, they summon you to remember your mission on Earth. In times when we must fulfill what seem to be important responsibilities, face "reality," and work within defined limitations, at those moments, we need to hang in the closest to the very center of existence. Clearly, you are rethinking some of the beliefs by which you live, but some things are not changing. One is your hard-earned awareness that you're an absolutely unique entity on this Earth. Living this truth is less about exercising a right and more about fulfilling your part in a relationship—with existence, with a person, with what you need to create, and most of all, with your personal truth. The world is under no obligation to admit the veracity of what holds for you. But you may notice many people willing to stand back, allow, encourage, and support you on the road less traveled.